Saturday, March 17   10:00 p.m.
The Rio   (301 San Jacinto Blvd)

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  Exit Clov - MK Ultra
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Meet Exit Clov, a unique five-piece indie rock band from Washington, DC, whose music could be described as �kaleidoscopic pop noir.� With the pure pop sensibilities of indie darlings Stars, the punk ethos of Blondie, the political edge of Metric and the playfulness of The Go! Team, this band is sure to appeal to pop music fans all over the world.

Composed of twin sisters Emily (vocals, keys, violin) and Susan (vocals, guitar, violin) Hsu, Aaron Leeder (guitar), Brett Niederman (bass) and John Thayer (drums, percussion), Exit Clov delivers beautifully harmonized vocals over vitriolic bass, drums and guitar. While sweet vocals over angular rhythms seem to be contradictory, they work to perfection. Their politically charged lyrics, sung in perfect sugar-coated harmony, are golden to the ear; raw yet sophisticated and surprisingly fresh by traditional rock standards.


The band members were strangers when they got together in a DC basement. Their only aspiration that afternoon was to hang out and play some music. By the end of the day Exit Clov was born, the group taking their moniker from Samuel Beckett�s �End Game.� By the month�s end, they played their first show. Undaunted by their lack of experience and musical direction, the band learned to write concise, intelligent pop songs. Their lyrics, fraught with references as diverse as government mind control, South America�s burgeoning Socialist Democratic leadership and vintage science fiction themes, Exit Clov is contemporary and historical at the same time. Not your typical subject matter, but this is not your typical indie pop band.

Since their inception in 2003, the band has self-released three EPs and played several major festivals, including NEMO and CMJ. They interviewed with and performed for ESPN and MTV News and were nominated for a 2005 WAMA (Washington Area Music Association) award for �Best New Artist.�

Livewire Recordings President and producer Colin Cobb stumbled upon Exit Clov on MySpace.com and found their sound intriguing. With his interest piqued, Cobb attended their very next show in Chicago. The band proceeded to blow the audience away, including Cobb. Over a late-night IHOP dinner, a partnership formed. �I knew by the second song that this was a band I wanted to work with. Their sound and their vibe fits with what I envision for Livewire,� said Cobb. In early June 2006, the band traveled to Cobb�s Vintage Vibe Studio in Alpharetta, GA, and recorded �Respond Respond� � their 6-song debut EP for Livewire Recordings. The EP captures the intensity of the band�s live show and highlights their musical complexity.